Creating memes online opened the door to a world of vast fandoms and communities. I met countless new people, and formed bonds over common interests and collaboration in stories or ideas. I joined many of the groups like the comic book and fan-film communities diversifying my online outlet. From all this, an idea sparked within me to make a film.

I had an urge to create something more, a project, a film. Having a passion for the comic character Batman, I wanted to tell a cinematic story never told, diving deep into the psychology of the character ultimately through a tragic descent. I knew immediately that this project wouldn’t be for money, but for fun and inspiration. I had no experience in filmmaking beforehand, so I knew this would be a tough learning experience. The COVID-19 pandemic was another complication, but that was no matter to me. I had my sights set and I wanted to do this film all online, with collaboration outsourcing around the world. 

I decided the best course of action would be to go in a 3D animated direction. To start off, I joined forces with friends I met in the comic book and fan-film communities to create story, scripts, and collaborate on ideas. For creating the visual material of the fan-film itself, I spent much of the summer on various platforms seeking out motivated artistic talent. Naturally due to my goals and the character rights, the project is non-profit so the only thing that got new members onboard was them sharing that same passion that I showed them. I now have a crew of 3D character modelers, 3D environment modelers, composers, characters designers, concept artists, and more.

The movie’s working title is “Batman: A Beautiful Lie,” and production will be an ongoing process of growth and learning. The story, character models, character designs, etc. are in great progress and have all been fine tuned to my precise vision of tone. Seeing the project come together, and seeing teammates grow technically and personally, has been a wondrous thing. I cannot wait to continue working on the film, and further see the team’s hard work transform our dream into fruition. I never expected to take this on, but everyone doing it all from the comfort of their homes is really rewarding. Not only did I learn of my love for filmmaking and team leadership, but also that you don’t need a Hollywood budget or a strong baseline for creation – art can start anywhere.